Crossroads

This quilt was made by Grace for her daughter-in-law and she said the pattern was called Crossroads.  I couldn't find the exact pattern online, but it seems to me a modified piecing technique for a traditional block called Crossroads of Arkansas.  Grace's daughter in law chose the pattern and the fabric.  It is a biggie at 106" x 106"!

 

Grace chose the Peacock panto and it compliments the pattern in the orange fabric that is on the front and back beautifully.

I'm back

My blog has been silent for almost 8 weeks - I didn't fall off the edge of the earth, but my world has been a bit upside down.

http://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-245341/SCHINKEL_HAROLD

 On April 24 my dad passed away suddenly and I have been travelling to and from Winnipeg for the funeral and to be with my mom who lost her husband and caregiver.  We are doing okay although it is still hard to believe he is gone.   We have also been enjoying end of year concerts, visits from friends and the general hustle and bustle of life, so being on the computer has been at the bottom of the list.  I have been quilting and have at least 10 quilts to share, so I will start the catch up process today.

I recently quilted one of my quilt guild's Comfort Quilts.  We donate these quilts to people with illnesses, or a loss of some form or another.  We were alerted to a possible need for a quilt for a man, so the ladies got this top ready and I volunteered to quilt it.  Another guild member will do the binding.

We added a navy Stonehenge backing and I decided this was the perfect chance to try out one of my new pantographs that arrived recently.

This one is by Beany Girl Quilts and it is called Novaya Zhizn.  It is a nice take on a leafy panto.

  These are the other pantographs that I recently added to my collection.  Many are classics that have stood the test of time, but I just hadn't picked up yet.

Clamflower

Expression

Maple Syrup

Musica

 

Snazzy Snowflake

Dazzled

I had the pleasure of quilting this striking quilt for the Roblin Jewel Quilters.  It is their raffle quilt for this year and was made from a pattern called "Dazzled."  

I attended one of their meetings recently and introduced myself and my business and we had an opportunity to decide the quilting plan as a group.  In the end we decided on the "Lithe" pantograph as it added a nice texture to the quilt, and it complimented the prints of the chosen fabrics.  The piecing is the star of this quilt, and the more simple quilting was all that was required.  This quilt is a  generous 96" x 115" and the piecing job was stellar.  Someone is going to be very lucky to win this one!

Lovely job ladies!

Amy's Pedal to the Metal

Amy made this crisp version of Highway 10 Designs' Pedal to the Metal quilt.  It is the perfect "guy quilt" - crisp, clean, masculine and not too fussy.  

To keep with the modern feel Amy selected the "Gatsby" panto and a charcoal grey Stonehenge wide backing.

If you need a quilt for a graduate, or a special guy in your life, check out Pedal to the Metal, is comes together in a snap and can be personalized with the colors of a favorite sports team or school. The pattern includes sizes to fit twin, double, queen or king beds.

Cheri's City Slicker

Cheri made this beautiful version of our Highway 10 Designs City Slicker pattern using a earthy collection of Cantik Batiks.  She used one Gemstone pack in the Alberta colorway.

Cheri chose the "Mimosa" pantograph that adds a nice even windy/leafy texture to the quilt.

A beautiful blue-green Northcott Stonehenge wide backing that I have in stock was teh perfect compliment.

I really enjoyed having this on my machine.  I wish it could have stayed a little longer!

City Slicker and all of our other Highway 10 Designs patterns are available in our Etsy shop as an instant PDF download or as a paper copy in the mail.

A Treasure for Megan

Every once in awhile I get to work on a quilt that has an interesting story.  This quilt that Marilyn put together for her granddaughter Megan  is one of those quilts.  The Dresden Plate block you see below was made in the 1930s by Megan's Great-Great-Great Grandmother.  Those aren't '30's reproduction fabrics, they are the real thing!   I love personalizing quilts, so Marilyn and I decided quilting Megan's name in the centre of this block would be just the right touch.

 If that was not cool enough, this cross stitched block was made in the 1960s by Megan's great grandmother!

Marilyn prefers lighter quilting, rather than a lot of feathers or other dense motifs, so I did my best to honor that request.   I did a dimple crosshatch right across the cross stitch with my 100 wt Micro Quilter thread.  I used the MicroQuilter on the Dresdenn plate as well.

I used the "onions and garlic" border, swirls, and a ribbon meander in the background. The leaves jut got some simple continuous curves.

I'm sure Megan will treasure the quilt that was made with love by generations of women in her family.  It was an honour to work on it.

Amy's Hexagon Star Stack 'n Whack

Amy made this quilt in a workshop at the guild we both attend.  This quilt is an attention getter for sure, but is very far removed from Amy's taste or style.  Amy usually makes more modern masterpieces like this, or this, or this.

After all the careful pinning and cutting and sewing that goes into a stack 'n whack quilt, an all over designs never quite feels right to me, so I decided on an equally affordable freehand option.  For this freehand quilting I did not use a ruler, or do any Stitch in the Ditch, or change thread colors.  A simple continuous curve in the kaleidoscope hexagons, three loops in the black triangles.  I did 3's an e's in the green background, a wavy line in the skinny border and big swirls in the outer border.

There is so many interesting designs created with this process!  Amy went all in and chose my red Stonehenge backing.  I think it look great.  I'm hoping that Amy like this quilt a little more now that the work is done and its quilted!